Education as an advanced field of study
This core course focuses on the critical evaluation, interpretation, and uses of published research in education as a field of study.
Students are given an opportunity to explore the relationship between theory and practice and the changing nature of knowledge.
In this course, students will examine peer-reviewed research articles, learn the "rules" and methods through which these scholarly works are developed, and begin to apply research findings to real problems and issues in education.
As part of this course, students will create and develop an ePortfolio as they begin to document their development as scholars, practitioners, and leaders in the field of education.
Course Syllabus
Signature Assignments
Growing Grit: A proposed development session dedicated to succeeding in your online coursework
Annotated Bibliography: Optimizing Adult Student Outcomes in an Asynchronous Online Learning Environment
An Education in Learning: My Path to Graduate School
Reflection
Education as an Advanced Field of Study allowed me to develop my skills as an academic and a professional. This course introduced me to presentation tools that I had not considered using (Prezi, Panopto, Canva, etc). This, plus this integration of graphic design elements allowed me to feel much more confident when putting together projects such as the development session (listed above) and its accompanying infographic. I feel my ability to appear as a polished, professional individual even in remote settings has developed significantly. At work, I am able to apply these skills directly in designing new student-facing content such as Orientation sessions and exemplar videos on navigating our site.
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The content around using and applying Northeastern’s research library also brought me into a new, more academic chapter of my schooling. Whereas before I might have been at risk of accidentally failing to cite properly, I now feel much more secure. I struggled a bit with defining my search fields so as to yield the best source results. I look forward to practicing this skill in upcoming coursework.​ Professionally, I have enjoyed being able to efficiently research a question (for example: do students quantitatively improve when engaged in discussion communities? Is there any research on that?) using the resources and skills introduced to me in this class.
Lastly, the course focused heavily on evaluating sources. In the environment we live and work in today, I am very grateful for this skill. While I was previously felt somewhat capable, the introduction of an evaluation system helped me be more specific and focused in my reasoning. I find this approach has allowed me to be a better advocate for truth and scientifically grounded content in my professional and personal life. Specifically, I can recall an instance when an article was introduced to our team at work calling into question the effectiveness of one of our long-standing practices. By evaluating the source systematically, I was able to identify that it lacked credibility, supporting data, research, or peer review. Because of this, we avoided the risk of lost time to an insufficient study prompting unnecessary change.